A variety of illumination schemes have been provided in the prior art ranging all the way from simple aperture lamp arrangements, making use of no reflectors to more complex systems making use of a linear lamp position within an elliptical reflector and, in some cases, making use of additional reflecting members to achieve projection of the light in a preferred direction. In some cases, a multiplicity of lamps have been arranged to illuminate an original document cooperating with a closely positioned reflector element that is coextensive with the lamps. Ordinarily, in any copier machine, when a flat document, such as original letters, and the like, are placed in position for copying purposes, little or no light is projected from the illumination system toward the operator's eyes. However, under circumstances where the original comprises a book or comparable original requiring special positioning or handling, prior systems are prone to project light toward the operator's eyes. This is due to the fact that the book or comparable original is positioned on the copy machine with the document lid in an open condition thereby permitting light to escape from the interior of the machine during the copying operation.